Final Fantasy VII: Unknown
by darkcrushblade
Summary: He's searching... Searching for himself. Will he find it? And if he does, will he wish he had never looked in the first place? Takes place ten years before the events of Final Fantasy VII. Some cameos will occur later... If you like a good long read, the
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

I don't know how long I've been here, trying to separate the dreams from reality. To tell you the truth, I can't tell the difference anymore. I don't even know where the hell I am. I can't move. I can't talk. I can't even see. I can only dream. And even in that solace there is nothing.

…Except for the nightmares.

From time to time, I see them. Dark men, with dark smiles, and dark eyes. They're the only thing I ever see besides the endless darkness, and if I had to choose one, it'd be the latter. The worse thing about them are their eyes, big, impossibly big, and dark for a while, but suddenly flashing with light. The light, it seems…wicked somehow, as if reflecting their dark intentions. They talk to each other, pointing at me and nodding their heads. Then they fade away, and I'm once again left with the darkness, my old friend.

And worst enemy. It's kind of funny. I've grown used to the darkness. I find some…comfort in it. I don't know how when I can feel it clawing at my heart and mind, taking even my memories away. I don't even know who I am anymore, or even if I am. It's easier to believe that I don't exist, and that I will always be here, trapped. At least it makes the darkness easier to bear.

* * *

_What should we do, Doctor?_

_………The answer is obvious, isn't it?_

_What…? You don't mean…?_

_Yes, dump it._

_But, Doctor…_

_It's a failure, and a failure isn't very useful to us, is it?_

_Yes, but maybe we can…_

_There's nothing we can do. Hey, you two. Take this thing and dump it somewhere. It doesn't matter where._

_Doctor…_

_Come. We'll continue our work on the other experiment. Hopefully, this one will be more successful._

* * *

**Chapter One**

I was cold when I awoke, shivering even, which was odd. It was never so cold in here that I shivered. Something was different. The darkness didn't feel as complete. And…

My arm…

I could move my arm. The other one…? It moved too. And I didn't feel that sense of weightlessness. What was happening? I blinked and my eyes began to adjust to the darkness. I was lying face down on the ground, and I turned my head to the side. And that's when I saw…

…A wall?

I turned over, struggling because I was so weak. And it all hit me at once.

I was lying on my back in the back of a dark, deserted alley. My eyes widened at what I saw. The buildings that towered above me, dark and incredible and ominous. A plane, cold and gleaming, crawling gracefully across the sky like a spider. But it was the sky…

I could barely see it, as it was hidden behind some kind of plate and only a sliver showed. But it was so beautiful, my breath caught. The moon hung high in the sky, big and white, its pale, soft light spilling into the alley. The stars flickered with their own bright radiance, like diamonds caught in the light. I finally exhaled and what came out was a laugh. A laugh of pure, unadulterated joy. I couldn't believe it.

I was free.

I sat up, grunting with some exertion. Apparently, all that time of immobility had made my muscles weak. Weak, but not useless. I tried to stand, but collapsed to one knee, cursing. I guess it was going to be harder than I thought. I rubbed my thighs and calves, hoping that that would get some strength in them. Then I realized I was naked.

It's not like I didn't realize beforehand, but I had been successfully ignoring it. Too many emotions had been racing through me to really care. But now, as I shivered my ass off, I looked around in the hope of seeing some pants. I hadn't been to the city in a while, but I was sure that running around naked was "frowned upon". I saw a pile of trash ahead of me, but I'd have to get up to get to it. I took a deep breath, exhaled, and forced myself up. I wobbled a bit as I got to my feet, but otherwise was fine. I smirked, pleased with myself. I bet it wasn't everyday that a grown man had to teach himself to stand and walk. But walking was easy once I stood and I went to the pile, hoping to see some kind of clothing. But there was none.

"Well, what do we have here?"

I glanced up to see three men standing in the opening of the alley. They each wore black, hooded coats, and smiles that weren't quite benevolent. I stood up straight as they stalked slowly toward me.

Might as well ask them for some clothes, I thought half-heartedly. When I did, they all laughed, stopping right in front of the pile of trash I was looking through.

"Yeah, we got clothes," the guy in the front, the leader I guessed, said as he tugged at his jacket. "Maybe we'll sell them to you. But first maybe you can explain why you're in our territory?"

"It's not like I planned a vacation to this particular alley," I replied, already annoyed. "I just…ended up here."

"Well, I hope you realize that you have to pay a trespassing fine," he said, shrugging. "It's just a standard fee of everything you have."

I shook my head. "Are you not looking at me? I'm _naked_ dammit."

"That's not my problem. Cough up something."

I sighed. "I don't have anything you want," I told him. "So you all being here is a waste of time. For both of us," I added.

"Well, if you don't have the trespassing tax," the leader began, shaking his head with mock sadness. "We're gonna have to rough you up. I don't want to do it, but it's for your own good. You understand?"

I shrugged, not able to stop the smirk from emerging on my face. People who were in power, or thought they were in power, always said that. 'It's for your own good.' I guess they couldn't fathom that other people could possess enough strength or intelligence or wisdom to know what's good for themselves.

"I guess so. But are you sure you want to do this?" I asked.

Now, I know how this looks. I was backed up against a wall, literally, and three ruthless thugs were ready to beat me to a pulp. Why wasn't I afraid?

The leader laughed and looked to his buddies. "I don't know. Are you guys sure you wanna jump this guy?" They smirked and nodded, and the leader looked back to me, his eyes gleaming. "Yeah, we're sure."

"I'm not sure," a new voice, female, arose from the darkness.

I chuckled, in spite of the situation. It seemed like the alley was turning into a regular party. I looked past the thugs to see a young woman standing in the same spot the they were a few moments ago. The only difference was, she was toting a gun that looked like it should hooked onto a tank.

"Now, how about getting out of here?" she suggested softly, the gun raised.

"I don't think so," the leader laughed. His friends also laughed. I guess they weren't paid to talk. The leader looked from the girl, to his friends, to me before a nasty grin surfaced on his face.

"Sorry, babe. But I got a better idea." Before anyone could react, he whipped a knife out from his clothes and held it to my neck. "Now, how about this? Gimme all the money you got, and I might let him go. But…don't hold me to that."

The girl's eyes narrowed, but she lowered the gun…to a degree. I rolled my eyes. If she gave up that easily, then she wasn't capable of saving me in the first place. Luckily I didn't need saving, though. The guy's head was turned as he stared at the girl, so I grabbed his wrist and squeezed.

"What…?" he began, turning his head, but before he could react, I pulled him toward me. As he stumbled toward me, his chin ran right into my waiting fist and his eyes blanked. The two other thugs darted toward me, their own daggers brandished, and I jumped back lightly with my fists up.

The first one that got to me slashed at me quickly, but I was faster as I leaned back. Both of us were off balance now, so I dropped my right foot back to gain some footing and slammed my fist into his gut. I then gave him an elbow with my left, spinning around to see what the situation was with the other guy. Instead he was just backing away, his hands up and his face panicked. I guess he realized he no chance caught between a crazy naked guy and his gun-toting savior.

"I give!" he cried fearfully, dropping the knife from his hands. I guess he could talk after all. He looked from me, to the woman with the gun who hadn't moved since she came.

She waved toward the street with her gun and the thug ran away, never looking back. I suppose his friends weren't that important to him. The woman slowly began walking toward me, a little cautious, her gun still held ready. I sighed to myself. There was just no trust for the exposed stranger in the alley.

"You're brave to be walking in alleys at night," she said. She raised an eyebrow as she looked at me. "Especially with no clothes."

Instead of answering, I bent down and pulled off the thug's pants and coat, putting them both on. Luckily, the guy was about my size, so everything fit well. I grabbed his shoes but they were too small. Throwing them away, I pulled off the other guy's shoes, which were more like boots than anything, and put them on. Not bad. A little big, but I could deal.

"Who are you?" I asked, zipping up the coat and putting the hood on. I was still pretty cold, but I didn't want to put on the guy's underclothes. That would just be wrong, not to mention nasty.

"People here usually don't give out their names so readily," the woman said, brushing a strand of wavy, brown hair from her eyes. Her steel-gray, seductive eyes.

…Hey, what can I say? Her eyes were damn beautiful. So was her skin. It was light brown, and flawless…and smooth… But I suppose that's beside the point…

"Okay then," I said, shrugging. "How about another question? Where are we?"

The corners of the woman's mouth turned up into a smile. "You're kidding, right?" At my blank stare, she shook her head. "This is Midgar," she explained, her face becoming suspicious again. "Everyone knows that."

"Midgar," I repeated, folding my arms as I thought. Apparently, the woman still didn't trust me, and with good reason. But, if I wanted to stay alive in this place and know where I was going, I'd have to placate her somehow. Put her at ease so that she could give me more information.

"What's your name?" she asked, still distrustful. Her finger was still on the trigger of her gun, as if she were ready to blast me away at the first sign of danger.

"I don't know," I answered, shaking my head. Her eyes narrowed again, and I sighed, already weary. "I have no memory. …amnesia. Is that what it's called?"

"Yeah," she nodded, eyeing me. The gun lowered again and I was able to breathe a little easier. "You really can't remember anything?"

"Nothing," I replied. "Not how I got here, my name, my life." I shrugged and looked away. "Nothing."

After a moment of silence, the woman extended her hand. "My name's Aya," she said. I reached out and shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you," I said, an involuntary smile appearing on my face. Finally, things were going my way.

She didn't return the smile, her face grim. "One thing you should learn when in this city," she said, turning her back. "Don't be caught outside at night. There are worse things than hoodlums walking the streets, when its dark. And its always dark." With that, she began walking toward the street.

I smirked to myself as I watched her walk. Worse things than hoodlums? I guess I'd cross that bridge once I got to it. No use worrying now. I walked out of the alley and onto the sidewalk, looking all around me. Lampposts lined the sidewalk, bathing the street in cold, fluorescent light.

"I'm guessing you need a place to stay?" she presumed, walking to the door of the driver's seat.

"Yeah, you know of anyplace?" I asked, looking at her over the top of the car.

She smiled coyly, "I sure do." She got in the car and leaned over, unlocking the door. I couldn't help but grin as I opened the door and hopped in, closing it behind me. Maybe she liked me more than I thought.

"Where is it?" I asked as she started up the engine.

She put the truck in gear and began driving, replying, "Just my place with some of my friends."

"And who are these 'friends'?" I asked as I leaned back into the seat. I let out an involuntary sigh of satisfaction, as I lounged in the comfort of the beat-up, leather seat.

"They're people that helped me when I didn't know what to do," she said as she drove. "When I was at the lowest point of my life."

"The lowest point of your life?" I repeated, eyeing her curiously.

She said nothing, however, only stared at the road as she drove. I shrugged to myself. I guess the lowest point of your life isn't something you want to discuss. Especially with someone you don't know. So I moved on to other topics.

"So tell me about this city," I said as she made a left. "Everything you know."

"Everything, huh?" I nodded and she let out a breath, then started, "Well, I don't know much about the history of Midgar…I think it used to just be a city, just like any other place. But I guess that was before Shin-Ra."

"Shin-Ra…?"

"Well, originally it was a small weapons company, but it grew into a powerful, multi-million dollar conglomerate when Mako power was developed."

"What's Mako?" I asked.

"Mako energy is created through the process of pumping pure Mako itself out of the Planet and into a Mako reactor where it's processed and turned into electricity. Apparently, Shin-Ra had incredible profits from the development of this technology, and proceeded to build the city of Midgar."

"So that means that they pretty much regulate everything around here, huh?"

"If you want to put it that way," Aya remarked dryly. "Despite being a business, its operations are more suited to a government than those of a legitimate business, as it has a monopoly over the use of force here in Midgar."

"Why don't the people just move then?" I asked.

She smiled dryly. "Partly because Shin-Ra doesn't want them to move. An enormous wall separates the city from the rest of the world, and the only way in or out is through the main gates. The city is kept under continual martial law and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

"And besides," she said, staring at me. "Would you leave your home, the place of your birth, just because something's pushing you out?"

I didn't have an answer, seeing as the word "home" had no meaning for me. So I asked, "How the hell can he do all of this? Why don't the people revolt?"

"Because they're afraid," she said sadly. "Shin-Ra has its own highly-trained army and they wield weapons that are far superior to the variety here on the streets. On top of that, he has a secret sect of assassins that can remove anyone who poses any kind of threat."

"I see…"

"But…it's not hopeless," she said, surprising me. Her usual cool-gray eyes burned with an intensity and determination I hadn't seen before.

"And why is that…?" I wondered aloud.

"It's not hopeless because we haven't given up hope," she said, slowing the truck down and stopping in front of a run-down house. "…Because we will never give up hope." With that, she parked and got out of the truck, closing the door behind her.

As she walked to the other side, I thought about all she had said. It seemed hopeless to me, but what she said about not giving up had left me feeling… I don't know the feeling, but it was odd.

A knock on the glass startled me and I looked into the smiling face of Aya. "You coming or what?"

I got out, closing the door, and suddenly remembered something. "What did you mean when you said there were worse things than criminals walking the streets?"

She turned and walked toward the house, replying, "I'll explain the rest when we get in. It's kind of hard to put in words."

I followed as she opened the door, and she closed it behind me and locked it. It was dark, and I shivered a little, a moment of unpleasant nostalgia racing through me. I ignored it, removing my hood.

"Just follow me, and you'll be alright," she said, lifting a rug from the hardwood rug. She then pulled at a floorboard and it opened, revealing a staircase.

A trapdoor? How secretive.

"You go down first," she said, gesturing toward the stairs. I shrugged to myself and complied. She followed, closing the trapdoor behind us. We walked down the stairs, our footsteps echoing on the stone steps. When we got to the bottom, she flipped a switch and lights flickered on, illuminating a narrow hallway leading to a door. She opened it, and walked in, and I was right behind her.

"This is our home," she said, gesturing toward the room. Doors lead off to other parts of the underground place, and one of them opened. In walked a huge, tanned guy. He ran a hand through his short black hair and grinned at Aya.

"Hey, back already?" he asked, folding his muscular arms. "Why so early?"

"I brought somebody with me," she said, nodding her head toward me. The man noticed me for the first time, and his grin disappeared, replaced with a look of suspicion.

"Who's this?" he asked Aya, as if I wasn't capable to answer any questions. Anger threatened to flare up, but I took a couple of deep breaths. Who knows? Maybe he was a nice guy and he was just a little slow to warm up.

"I found him in an alley," she answered, removing the gun that was strapped on her back. "He has amnesia."

"Amnesia, huh?" He eyed me distrustfully, a scowl on his face. "So you don't remember nothing?" The question was directed toward me.

"Well, that is the definition of amnesia," I replied coolly. I'd already decided he didn't like me, so being polite was definitely not one of my goals.

"You didn't say he had a smart mouth," the man growled to Aya, eyes still on me.

"Well Vulcan, if you didn't look at him so apprehensively, maybe he wouldn't answer that way." Aya looked around. "Where's the Boss? I have to tell her about this."

"She's in the computer room," the man called Vulcan replied, still glaring at me. "I think she's still checking on that Turk thing."

"Alright, I'll go get her," Aya said, walking away. She called back to me, "You can wait here, I'll be right back."

After standing there for a few moments, I finally asked the guy, "Do you have a problem or something?" He had been standing there, glaring at me ever since he got in here.

"I don't know you," he said evenly. "Therefore, I don't trust you. Therefore I don't like you."

I shrugged nonchalantly. "And I don't really care," I replied. "But if you want to talk about this outside, I'd have no qualms about it." Normally, I wouldn't pick a fight with a stranger, but the way he was looking at me was irritating the hell out of me.

He grinned nastily and his eyes sparkled. "No need to go outside when we have an exercise room right down the hall."

"Lead the way," I ordered, smirking. He turned without a word and went to a door, opening it, and walking. I followed him down the hall, and he opened another door, stepping inside. I walked inside, and smiled.

This was the perfect place to fight. There was a mat covering the ground and mirrors on the walls so I could see hundreds of me kicking the guy's ass.

Without warning he rushed toward me, his fist raised. I smiled to myself. No time like the present, I supposed. I ducked, and his momentum sent him over me, so all I had to do was rise up. I sent him over my shoulders and he landed on the mat with a grunt. He got up quickly and rushed again, this time punching with much more control. But he was still too slow. I leaned to my left and sent my fist toward his face, but he predicted this and leaned back before punching me in my ribs. I felt like I had been hit by a truck, but miraculously, I stayed on my feet. Before he could react, I punched him quickly in the chin and he stumbled back. I then tackled him to the ground, and tried to punch him again. He grabbed my fist in mid swing though, and used his other hand to grab my arm and throw me off of him. I rolled to my feet and rushed him while he was still getting up.

God, he was so slow.

I gave him another fist, this time to his jaw, but he still rose up with an uppercut to my chin that sent me flying backwards. He then jumped toward me, ready to land on my chest and crush me. I brought my knees to my chest, my feet pointed towards him, and they caught his exposed chest. I then pushed with all my strength, and sent him flying into one of the mirrors attached to the walls. It cracked, but didn't shatter, and he landed to the ground, holding his ribs.

"That's enough you two," came a voice from the door. I rolled over and looked up to see a woman standing there, Aya behind her shaking her head. The new woman had a black patch over her right eye, but her left eye was a honey color. Her hair was also honey blonde, curly, and covered half of her face, the left half.

"Who are you?" I asked, still lying on the floor.

"I'll tell you as soon as you get up," she said, staring down at me, a half smile on her face.

I stood up slowly, glancing back at Vulcan, who was limping painfully over.

"Now, what was the fight all about?" the blonde woman asked, her face serious.

What were we, kids now? She looked like a mom that was ready to send us to bed with no dinner.

So, like a kid who knows the school yard code, I replied, "Nothing." I busied myself with straightening my coat.

"Vulcan?" the woman said, turning her golden eye on him.

He shifted uncomfortably before saying, "It was nothing, I'm sorry. It won't happen again, ma'am."

"I hope not," she said, folding her arms. "The last thing we need is to have internal conflict when we can barely stand up to Shin-Ra." She then glanced at her watch. "Aren't you late for patrol?"

He glanced at his watch also, before nodding. "Yeah, I'm on my way." He walked out, tossing me one last glare before leaving. I shook my head, thinking to myself that I'd never learn to like that guy.

"You'll get used to him," the woman said, eyeing me amusedly. "Usually no one's brave enough to go against a big guy like him, though."

"He doesn't seem that tough," I shrugged.

The woman nodded, mostly to herself it seemed, before gesturing toward the door. "This way please."

As we walked out, I glanced at Aya and she glanced back, rolling her eyes. I smirked and followed the women down the hall and into another room where they were already seated. The woman behind a huge desk covered with papers and crap, and Aya at a chair in front of her. She gestured toward the other chair next to her, motioning for me to sit.

"Yes, please have a seat," the woman said. Once I did, she leaned her elbows on the desk, starting, "Aya has told me what's transpired so far. She's also told me you need a place to stay."

I nodded. "Yeah, that and a job. You know, just to get on my feet so that I can figure some things out. Any suggestions?" The two women exchanged secret looks and smiles, and I cocked my head to the side, curious, but otherwise remained silent.

"You can stay here," the woman said, leaning back into her chair. "As for a job, we'll hire you as a mercenary to help with an upcoming job. Since you'll be working for me, you can just call me Boss like everyone else in Advent."

"Advent is the name of our group," Aya explained, noticing my puzzled look. I nodded and leaned forward.

"Alright Boss," I said easily. "What's the job you have for me?"

"Aya has told me that you can handle yourself in a fight," she continued, sliding a folder across the desk. I grabbed it and began leafing through it. It contained information about something called Soldier.

"What's this for?" I asked as I flipped the pages.

"We've been wanting one of our own on the inside," the Boss replied. "Someone that can tell us exactly what's happening so that we can plan our next moves."

"And that person is me?" I raised an eyebrow curiously. "What makes you think they'll accept me?"

"It's a volunteer army," she said. "They take everyone they can get, and put them at one job or another."

"Plus, you have the perfect build for an up and coming Soldier," Aya put in. "Like you've been training. They won't refuse you."

"How come know one else has done it yet?" I pointed out. I wanted to get all of the information and angles before I jumped right into it.

"Well, you haven't met everyone yet, but let's just say they didn't meet the qualifications," the Boss answered. "Besides, some of them have worked for the Shin-Ra Corporation before. Going back would be more than a little suspicious."

I nodded, and prepared to ask my last and most important question. "How much am I getting paid?"

The corner of the Boss' mouth turned up into a small smile, and she replied, "Two thousand, no more, no less."

I wasn't arguing. Two thousand was a lot of scratch. Enough for me to get a place to stay and think. Then I laughed to myself at my ignorance. A lot of scratch? I didn't even know what the hell the currency was around here. So I asked.

"It's a universal currency," Aya explained. "Gil. Everyone on each continent uses it."

"Fine with me, then," I said, shrugging. "So what now?"

"Right now?" The Boss glanced at Aya before saying, "How about you go get a weapon for yourself? Aya will show you the way."

Aya nodded and stood up. "Follow me," she directed, walking out of the door. I followed, closing it behind me.

"So' what do you think so far?" Aya asked as she led me down the hall. "Do you think our cause is just?"

"Just…yes," I answered as we walked. "Smart….I still haven't decided, yet."

"What do you mean?" she asked, not looking back.

"Well, you're going up against trained soldiers, first of all," I pointed out. "Second, there are more soldiers than there are rebels. Third, everyone is probably scared to death of the Shin-Ra Corporation. Am I correct, so far?" She remained silent, only continued walking, and that being answer enough for me, I continued, "It just seems like a one-sided battle that has only one result."

Aya sighed shakily. "The soldiers aren't the only things we have to worry about." She stopped in front of a door and turned to me. "Remember when I said there were worse things? In the night?" I nodded and she went on. "Well, there's a scientific sector of Shin-Ra. Their goal is to create the perfect soldier."

"So what else is new?" I shrugged. "People have been and will continue to try and create the perfect soldier, or perfect person. It's part of human nature to try and be perfect."

"You don't understand," she said, her voice beginning to shake with anger. Her eyes were flashing angrily. "Their experimenting on humans. They take children away from hospitals, just because they own them. They take people from the prison because no one cares. They take husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, just because…just because they own the city."

"And what usually happens to these…experiments?" I asked.

Aya's eyes flashed again. "They're people," she corrected heatedly. But then it seemed like all the anger just disappeared, and she whispered, "Or at least, they were."

I remained passive, folding my arms. "Meaning…?"

"Meaning, that their twisted experiments have turned innocent people into brutal monsters that don't have a shred of humanity left. No memory or past of what they once were. They're just…creatures that Genosa keeps locked away for further experiments." Her eyes narrowed again. "But sometimes, they let them out. They let them out just to instill a little fear in the populace, to keep them under control."

"So, what you're telling me is that, besides soldiers, you also have an army of monsters to deal with in case all out battle erupts?" Her eyes lowered and she nodded barely.

I knew I shouldn't be doing this, pointing out the follies of her group's plans, but this was ridiculous. This wasn't fighting for a cause. It was nothing but a suicide mission.

And yet.

They still went on, already knowing this. Knowing better than I did, what was going to happen. They still trudged toward what they saw as an inevitable fate. Why? It seemed so…pointless…

"Well, let's see what kind of weapons you have in there," I said, changing the subject. Aya smiled gratefully and opened the door, flicking on a light. I whistled softly when I saw the guns mounted on each wall.

"Just pick whatever you like," she said, leaning against the wall. "Take your time."

As I walked through the armory, I would pick up a gun and hold it, feeling it out, before returning it. Nothing felt right in my hands, or caught my eye, until I saw…it.

It was beautiful, first off. The sheathe was a solid black, and thick, black string was wrapped around the middle of it. At the top of the sheathe was the silver face of an angel, complete with a silver halo around his head and silver wings that unfurled from each side of his face. And at the bottom of the sheathe was the silver face of a grinning demon with horns and devil's wings. The hilt was the same solid black as the sheathe, and was decorated with silver angels and demons except where the hand had to grip. The silver pommel was an angel and devil wing circling around each other.

I lifted it gingerly off the wall, eyeing it's magnificence before unsheathing it. The silver blade was about three feet long, highly polished and extremely sharp. Engraved on one side of the blade, at the beginning, was: Hell. On the other side, it read: Heaven. I sheathed it and turned to Aya.

"How come no one has taken this?" I asked, holding it up. "It's…beautiful."

Aya smiled. "Beautiful won't get us far on the battlefield if we don't know how to use it," she said. "Besides, we have guns. They kill a greater amount of people much faster."

"Well, if know one wants it," I trailed off, tying the string to my belt.

"It's all yours," Aya approved before tilting her head and giving me a quizzical look. "Do you know how to use a sword?"

"Yeah, of course," I lied, putting a hand on it. "Why would I pick it if I didn't?"

She shrugged. "Okay, so what do you want to do now? If you'd like, I could show you to your new room." She eyed the hooded jacket and pants I took from the thugs earlier. "Maybe get you some new clothes?" She walked out into the hall, looking back at me.

I followed her into the hall. "These are fine," I said, giving the coat a tug. I sniffed the front. "Just needs a good washing."

"The washers and dryers are down the hall," she pointed. "Conveniently enough, so is your room. It's two doors down from the laundry room, on your right. There's a bathroom in it too."

"Alright," I nodded, noting what she said. "What are you going to do right now?"

"Probably sleep," she replied, stretching. "I haven't slept well in a while." She turned around, throwing a wave back. "See you later. If you need anything, come to my room. I'm three doors down, to the left. Goodnight."

"Later," I replied before turning and walking to the laundry room. I stripped down and put my things in, turning it on. Apparently, it added all the necessary detergents and whatnot. It was also connected to the dryer, so after it washed the clothes, it would toss them in to dry. I didn't have to lift a finger. Too bad it couldn't bring the clothes to my room and dress me, but I guess you can't have everything.

I headed to my new room and opened the door, flicking on the light. A bed and a desk was all the decoration in the room. I laid my new sword down on the desk and fell into the bed, pulling the blankets over me. I left the light on as I slept, because sleeping in the darkness would have felt a little too much like home.


	2. Chapter 2

I was dreaming, I already knew that. I was sitting at the table of a strangely familiar kitchen. Sunlight was spilling into the kitchen via open windows and the glass door leading into the backyard.

_Andrew! Did you forget already?_

Forget what…? I wondered as I sat there. I knew someone was behind me, but I was frozen in place. Turning around to discover the identity of the person was impossible.

_You always forget, Andrew. Hahaha, you and your short-term memory._

Andrew…? Is that my name…?

_You should try to remember. Then you won't feel so bad._

Remember what?

_Oh Andrew, if only we all had a little more time…_ _I'm so sorry for this…_

Sorry for what…? I asked silently. My dreams rarely made sense, but this one was taking the cake. Yet, the voice sounded oddly familiar, like a grade school friend you talk to for the first time in years.

_Just remember, that you are loved… All of you are loved…_

* * *

I woke up from the dream in a haze, my eyes adjusting slowly to the overhead light. Andrew? My name was Andrew? I sat up and massaged my temple, trying to think. Who was that voice? Why did it sound so familiar? Maybe it was a memory? Maybe that meant my memory was coming back?

I sighed and let myself fall back to the bed. What am I doing, I wondered as I stared at the ceiling. What _should _I do? That was a better question. I didn't know if I wanted to get involved in this whole rebel thing, but they offered things I didn't have. Things I needed to survive while I tried to sort things out for myself. All they want me to do is enlist and get them information, I thought. Maybe once I do that, I can leave. I wasn't afraid, even though I knew that going up against the kind of power Aya described was a death sentence. Its just that all of this sounded like something I shouldn't be involved in. Everyone in Advent was fighting for a cause except me.

I shook my head. Whatever. I'll worry about that when it arrived, but right now I had to get my clothes. I got up, and went into the hall. It was empty, so I thought walking naked wouldn't be disastrous. Then the door to the laundry room opened and a brunette, teen girl walked our carrying a pile of clothes. Her brown eyes widened in shock, then she blushed, then yelled out, "Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" She ran off, dropping articles of clothing in her escape.

I shrugged to myself and walked into the laundry room, stopping for a moment to gather a white t-shirt, a pair of underpants, and socks. They were clean, so it didn't really matter whose they were, right? There on a table, were my clothes, folded neatly. I guess the girl did it. I'd have to thank her.

I put on all the clothes and went back into my room. Aya had said their was a bathroom in there, and there was. I guess I just didn't notice it when I walked in last night. The door was opposite of my bed. I walked in and bent over the sink, rinsing my face off with cold water. When I rose up, I saw the mirror. And I saw a complete stranger.

Shoulder-length, wild white hair. Crimson-red eyes. I stared at myself touching my face and hair. This is what I looked like? I blinked and squinted at the mirror, the stranger doing the same.

A knock on the door interrupted my inspection and I went to open it, finding Aya there waiting with an amused frown on her face.

"Were you walking around naked before?" she asked, folding her arms and smiling slightly.

"Maybe," I replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Because Clara came and told me," she explained. She sighed, shaking her head. "You know, you can't just walk around in the nude anymore."

"Relax, I was just getting my clothes from the laundry room," I said, raking a hand through my hair. "Don't worry, it won't happen again."

She smiled. "Good. If you want, Clara made breakfast for everyone."

"I do," I nodded, turning out the light and shutting the door behind me. "By the way, who's Clara again?"

As we walked, Aya explained, "Angela found Clara asleep in the streets when she was ten. She brought her here and she's never left. She does whatever she can around here to show her gratitude, although I think she's paid in full and over."

There were a few moments of comfortable silence as we walked and I suddenly remembered my dream. "Hey, I remembered something."

Her face brightened. "Really! What'd you remember?"

"My name..." I paused for dramatic effect. "...is Andrew."

"Andrew," she repeated before giving a shrug. "A pretty dull name if you ask me."

I blinked in surprise. "What do you mean, 'dull'? This has nothing to do with just my name. This is the beginning of remembering who I am. This has meaning behind it. And Andrew is not a dull name, either."

"Well at least now we know what to call you," she said, opening the door to the dining room. The first thing I saw was a pile of bacon. My mouth watered.

"Come on and have a seat you two," the Boss waved us over. She was sitting at the head of the table, her plate already stacked with food. Sitting next to her was a kid that was the splitting image of her with his blonde hair and eyes. Must be her son. There was an empty chair next to him so I sat down. Sitting to my left was, amusingly, Clara. She blushed when I apologized for earlier, mumbling, "It's alright…"

Sitting directly opposite of me was Aya, who began piling her plate with bacon and eggs. Vulcan was sitting to her left, and already had his plate filled with both, plus a stack of pancakes. Every now and then, he'd throw a glare in my direction. Sitting on Aya's right was a guy I hadn't met before. His skin was dark brown, and his long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

"Well, no use letting it get cold," Vulcan declared, forking a pile of eggs with gusto. "Let's dig in!"

"Mommy, we didn't say grace yet!" the kid cried, tugging the Boss' sleeve.

"Yeah, I know baby," she soothed, Throwing a pointed glance toward Vulcan. "Why don't you do the honors?"

Vulcan grinned awkwardly and clasped his big hands together, bowing his head. Everyone did the same, closing their eyes solemnly. Except for me, that is.

"Oh Lord, we thank you for this bounty we're receiving," Vulcan prayed as I snatched a piece of bacon from the pile and popped it into my mouth. I chewed slowly and quietly as he finished, "In your name, we pray. Amen."

"Amen," everyone concluded, raising their heads.

"_Now_ we can eat," the kid declared, digging in. The Boss smiled briefly at him before beginning to eat. As we all ate, everyone began to talk casually.

"Vulcan, anything new on patrol last night?" the Boss asked, her mouth fool of egg.

He took a swig of juice before throwing a contemptuous look in my direction. "I didn't pick up any strays, if that's what you mean."

I guess he was still not quite fond of me. "How clever," I retorted. "Did it take all night to think of that one or did you just ask the kid for a freebie?" I gestured toward the little blonde.

"How are you guys enemies when you don't even know each other?" Aya asked in wonder, staring at both of us.

"I guess I'm just opposed to idiots," I shrugged, gulping down juice.

"And I'm opposed to weaklings," he snapped.

"Stop," she commanded. "Both of you are acting like children."

"She's right," the Boss agreed. "How's work coming along Armour?" she changed the subject, looking at the man with the ponytail. He stopped, his fork hovering in midair and his mouth wide open.

"Huh?" was his reply, obviously oblivious to the last few minutes of conversation.

The Boss rolled her eyes, seemingly already used to this. "I _said_, how's work coming along?" I crammed food into my mouth as I watched the exchange.

The man called Armour shoved the forkful of pancakes into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully, syrup dripping down his chin. Finally, he swallowed and replied, "Fine."

The Boss rolled her eyes again, and this time they settled on me. Apparently, she was hell bent on having a morning conversation with _someone_.

"I heard you like walking around naked," she said, with no tact whatsoever.

Wiping my mouth with a napkin, I replied, "Word gets around quickly, doesn't it?"

"Well, in case you didn't notice, there's only seven of us," Vulcan interrupted. "You walking around naked like some kind of pervert wouldn't be a secret for too long."

Before I could reply, Clara's said in a soft voice, "He didn't mean it…"

I glanced at her gratefully before turning to Vulcan. "Yeah, you heard her," I said. "Now be a good boy, unless you want another beating."

"I'll take you on any day of the week," he scowled. "You just name the time and place."

Ignoring the exasperated looks on Aya and the Boss' face, and the confused one on Armour's, I replied, "Well, seeing as I don't know my way around here, why don't you do the honors?"

"Do you two really have to do this?" Aya asked, her face a mixture of disapproval and exasperation. "Can't you do something else to prove your manhood?"

"This isn't about manhood," Vulcan growled, eyeing me. "It's about putting him in his place."

"If you want to put me in my place," I smirked, folding my arms. "How about right now? I'm done eating."

He stared at me for a moment, uncertainty written all over him before he said, "How about tomorrow? At three o'clock. Same place as last time."

"Fine with me," I said. I felt a tug on my jacket and looked down to see the little blonde kid there. "What?" I asked.

"You're gonna fight Vulcan?" he asked, eyes wide, his voice incredulous. Vulcan smirked.

"Yeah," I said, nodding and scraping the last bit of pancake and egg from my plate.

"But he's bigger than you," he said, as if I hadn't noticed that fact before.

I shrugged. "So?" He stared at me thoughtfully for a moment with those wide, amber eyes before turning back to his food.

"Eat your eggs, Michael," the Boss said, ruffling his already wild hair. He smiled toothily at her before forking his eggs. Cute kid, I had to admit.

"Hey thanks for breakfast, Clara," Armour said, standing up. He wiped his chin with a napkin and stretched. "Back to work." He began to leave, but turned back as if he had forgot something. He reached a hand out to me. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced. My name is Armour."

I grabbed his hand and shook it, saying, "Nice meeting you. I'm Andrew." He nodded and walked out.

"Andrew?" the Boss repeated, looking at me in confusion. "I thought you didn't remember your name?"

"I didn't until last night," I said, pushing my plate away. "I had this weird dream where someone was calling me Andrew, and I remembered it as my name."

"Too bad no one cares," Vulcan declared, standing up. "I'll be in the exercise room." I wastched as he shuffled out. Don't you worry buddy. You'll get yours soon.

"Well, what are you two going to do?" the Boss asked, leaning back into her chair.

"I was going to go into town and make a few rounds," Aya said. She looked at me. "You should come along if you want to know the layout of the city."

I nodded. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." I turned to the Boss, gesturing toward the kid. "Is this your son?"

She smiled and ruffled his hair again, much to his dismay. "Yeah, he's mine. Been here since the beginning."

I nodded and stood up, glancing at Aya. "When will you be ready?" I asked her.

"Right now," she said, also standing. "Let's go."

"Be careful," the Boss said, waving a hand while using the other to try and wipe her son's face.

* * *

"What are you supposed to be looking for you when you patrol?" I asked as we flew down the street. It was drizzling lightly, and each tiny droplet shimmered as the glow of the streetlights caught them.

"Just anything that's wrong," Aya answered, stopping at a light. "You know, four guys beating up someone, a lady getting robbed, a monster. That sort of thing."

"Oh, the everyday kind of thing," I smiled, staring out the window.

"You may be joking, but a monster in the streets isn't an unusual occurrence," she said. "Most people just stay locked up in their houses, only coming out to get food and the essentials. No one wants to be assaulted by both criminals and monsters."

My smile disappeared as I thought of her words. "No one should have to live their lives this way," I said softly. "It's not right."

"That's why we're going to fight," Aya whispered strongly. "No matter what the outcome."

I looked away from the window, into her face. And she was afraid. Afraid of what was to come. But she still went on.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked. "What makes _you_ keep going with the possibility of death so certain?"

She sighed, tears beginning to slide silently down her cheeks. She pulled over and put her head on the steering wheel. "I have to do this for him…"

"Who?" I asked gently.

"My little brother," she choked, the tears coming faster. "He was taken byShin-Ra five years ago, when I was sixteen. They performed their…experiments on him and then gave him back to me when they were finished. He was in a lot of pain, more pain than he ever deserved. Finally…one day, I found him dead, an empty bottle of pills next to him. He had killed himself." She looked at me painfully. "He was only ten."

She sniffled and wiped her tears away, sitting up. "That's why I won't give up, ever. They'll pay. They'll pay for what they did to him, even if it costs me my life."

I sighed inwardly. So she didn't have a cause after all. Just an anger-fueled sense of vengeance for the loss of her brother. Now I _knew_ she would die, without a doubt. Her anger and desire for revenge would be her death. But she still deserved a kind word or two.

"I'm not going to pretend I understand why you want to throw your life away when your brother would probably want you to live it to its fullest." She glanced at me before looking forward again, so I continued, "But you have my help whenever you need it."

Damn. I cursed myself inwardly. Why had I said that? That was way more than a kind word or two. I said I didn't want to get involved in this whole mess and now I had just pretty much jumped right in. Well, I thought as she smiled at me, at least it had made her a little less sad.

"Thank you, Andrew," she said softly. "You barely know me, and yet you want to help. You're really a good person."

Or an incredibly stupid one. I nodded and went back to looking out the window. The drizzle was getting heavier, threatening to become downright rain.

Suddenly, a man appeared in the street, running. His face looked like he had gotten the fear of God struck in him, and he was running as fast as his fat little legs could carry him.

"What's wrong with him?" Aya murmured before getting out the car. I sighed, guessing that this was one of Advent's duties to the public. The rain was pouring by now, so I put on my hood and got out as well.

The man was yelling at Aya frantically as I walked toward them, and he kept looking back behind him. As if someone were chasing him.

"So, what's up?" I asked when I reached them.

"He said something about a monster," Aya said uncertainly. "I couldn't really understand him though. He's pretty incoherent."

"Seems like he's scared shitless to me," I suggested, glancing at him. "You sure he isn't just hallucinating or something?"

A screech erupted from the dark, echoing throughout the cold night. Guess that answered my question. The man's eyes widened in fright and he ran, disappearing into the shadows. I turned to Aya.

"Any idea what that might be?" I asked, a hand on the hilt of my sword.

"I…I don't know," she said, shaking her head. She removed the gun from her back and held it ready as another shriek came from the darkness. We waited, glancing at each other when we heard the footsteps. They were loud, first off, and sounded like they belonged to something that could probably crush us.

"Maybe we should call for backup…" Aya trailed off as the creature emerged from the shadows. It was huge, just as I thought, and reminded me of some kind ofzombie creature from a movie. It looked like a big wingless lizard, except its flesh was all rotted and raw and bloody.

"Um...why don't you call for backup?" I suggested, unsheathing the sword. "I'll distract it for as long as I can."

She looked from me to the creature fearfully. "…Are you sure…?"

"Of course not," I said, never taking my eyes off the beast. "But now's not the time to be sure. Just do it." She did, running back to the truck.

The creature and I stared at each other as the rain hammered relentlessly on us. Each of us were waiting for the other to make a move. It licked its lips with a reptilian tongue and bared its sharp teeth. I crouched into a stance, momentarily troubled, remembering that I didn't know the first thing about swordplay.

As if reading my mind and realizing it had an advantage, the creature bounded toward me with a ear-piercing shriek. I rolled to the side, barely missing being snapped up in its jaws. I jumped toward it, sword raised, but it sent me flying with one flick of its muscular tail. I slid backwards on the wet concrete of the street and stopped, stars dancing around my head. Dimly, I heard the running footsteps of the beast and I looked up just in time to see it jumping toward me. Without thinking, I rolled to my side again and jumped up as it landed where I once was, slicing one of its eyes. It screeched in pain as blood sprayed from its eye. It turned its head, glaring at me with its one good eye and before I could react, sent a claw toward me. With one swipe, it knocked me far backwards into a parked car. The sword fell from my fingers and I realized faintly that my face and chest were bleeding freely. I heard the thing scream again, and lumber toward me. I looked on the ground for my sword, but couldn't find it. I wiped the blood from my eyes and saw that it was running right toward me, a look of feral glee in its eye.

Without warning, it pitched to the side, sliding on the slick concrete. I looked toward the car to see Aya standing there with her gun. She fired again and again, getting to one knee to aim better. The beast stood up, shaking its head fiercely. Then it began to run toward Aya, that same look in its eye. She was shooting frantically, but the beast was shaking them off as if they were bug-bites. I guess the first one just took it by surprise.

It was going to kill her unless I did something. I stood up shakily, looking around for my sword. It had been right beside me the whole time, and I picked it up. I ran toward the beast, my vision swimming before me. I could barely stand but here I was running in the rain to save a girl I barely knew. Life was funny sometimes.

"Andrew," she screamed, as the beast got nearer. It was almost to her, its mouth wide open in anticipation. I got to her first, though I don't know how. It's jaws were completely unhinged somehow, and it looked ready to swallow us both. I quickly cut its tongue, the only thing before me that looked vulnerable. It reared back, screeching its pain, and I saw my chance. Before it could react, I jumped forward and plunged the sword into its chest. It shrieked, shaking wildly from side to side. I held onto the sword, barely, and finally it slipped out from its chest and I was thrown onto the street.

"Andrew!" I heard Aya call my name faintly, but the sweet embrace of darkness called for me also. And I couldn't ignore it.

* * *

Where the hell am I, I wondered as I sat up. I shook my head, trying to clear the stars from my vision. At least nothing was broken, I mused, standing up shakily. I was in a meadow of some kind, complete with flowers and butterflies and sunlight. All that good stuff.

_Be strong…_

What? I looked around but there was no one there. I scratched my head in confusion before everything suddenly came together. I must be in Dreamworld again, I supposed, looking around.

_You are strong… Don't ever forget that…_

Yeah, I already know that. If I wasn't strong, that monster would have mopped the floor with me. Well, actually, it did mop the floor with me, but I wouldn't have killed it.

_You are not weak… Weakness is only in the mind… A person is only weak when they think they are…_

Yeah…okay… Now how about some questions of my own? The first being, who the hell are you?

_There will be times when you think you're weak…_

The sky suddenly went dark, the sun blocked by thick, dark clouds. Lightning struck, followed by the inevitable thunder. Without warning, the sky parted and rain began to fall, heavy and unhindered.

_There will be times when you want to give up…_

The flowers and grass decayed and died right before my eyes, and what sprouted up from the ground as a result wasn't something I saw a kindly old grandmother watering everyday. Monsters, former experiments, were clawing their way from the ground. Each one's flesh rotted or exposed or bloody. Each one oblivious to their past, trying to find a way to live in what they saw as a new world. Each one struggling to survive, even if it meant killing. Each one reminded me of myself, minus the ugly.

_There will be times when the odds seem overwhelmingly against you…_

More were sprouting up all around me, hundreds turned to thousands, which turned to ten thousands, and so on. In the distance, as far as I could see, I saw the creatures. And they were all headed toward the center, i.e.: me.

_But don't ever forget, that you are strong… Don't ever forget that weakness is only in the mind… Andrew…_

* * *

My eyes snapped open and I found myself staring at the ceiling of my room. The light was off, thankfully, and the room was dimly lit with candles. I turned my head to find Clara there, wringing water out of a rag.

"How do you feel?" she asked in that soft voice of hers.

"I feel like I'mat a séance," I joked hoarsely, trying to get up. Pain lanced through my sides and head, and I lay back down with a weak, "Ouch."

"You shouldn't try to get up," the brunette suggested, resting the rag on my head. "A few of your ribs are broken. And I think you have a minor concussion."

"Now you tell me…" I sighed. After a few moments of silence, I asked, "Is Aya alright?"

She hesitated a moment before removing the rag and rinsing it off. "Yes, and no. She wasn't hurt but…"

"But what…" I asked, turning my head to look at her.

"She believes it's her fault that you were hurt so badly," Clara explained, washing the cuts on my chest and stomach. "She thinks it's because she couldn't protect herself."

I went back to looking at the ceiling, thinking as she wrapped bandages around my chest and stomach.

"Where is she right now?" I asked when she finished bandaging me up.

"She's in the exercise room, training," the brunette responded sadly. "Training way too hard to try and make it up to herself and to you." With that, she walked out, throwing behind her, "Armour will be up here shortly to fix you up. Until then, stay here, okay?"

I nodded and she left, closing the door behind her. I sat up, ignoring the pain that raced up and down my ribs. At least I already had on pants, I thought standing up. Putting on pants with broken ribs wouldn't have been fun.

I limped to the door, briefly wondering when I had hurt my leg. Probably when I was thrown to the ground for the third time, right before I fell unconscious. I walked out into the hall, stopping and leaning against the wall. I had to wait for the hall to stop spinning around.

Why are you doing this? I asked myself as I limped down the hall. You should be in bed, yet you're going to soothe someone who isn't even injured. I shrugged. No use trying to figure it out now. I was doing a lot of things lately that didn't make sense to me.

I found the exercise room and walked in, finding Aya in the middle of the room doing squats. Her back was turned, but with all the mirrors in the room she saw me easily. She stood up, wiping the sweat from her face, before walking to me.

"Are you alright?" she asked hesitatingly eyeing my bandages.

"I'm fine," I lied, sitting down on the padded floor. "Just a little tired…"

She sat down also, still staring at me in that open way. Finally, she looked away, saying, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" I asked, already knowing.

"It's my fault that you got hurt," she whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek. "I couldn't protect myself."

"Look, it may be your fault that I'm hurt," I acknowledged. Her face fell, but I continued on, "but that was my choice. It was my choice to protect you. If I didn't protect you, you would have been dead. Instead, I'm just injured. Injuries heal over time, but death…"

"But you _could've _died," she said, her head rising and her eyes blazing. "You could have died and it would have been all my fault!" Hervoicefell to a whisper."All because I'm…weak…"

"Weakness," I began, remembering my dream. "Weakness is only in the mind. If you believe you're weak, then you will be weak. But, if you believe in your strength, then nothing will be able to stand up to you."

"Really?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Sure," I said, standing up. "If I thought I wouldn't make it to this room because my ribs were broken, then I probably would have collapsed before I even got to the hall."

She smiled and stood up, hugging me gently before I could even react. "Thank you," she murmured. "For everything…"

The sound of someone clearing their throat broke the moment and she withdrew. I looked to the door to find Armour there, tapping his foot impatiently.

"I thought Clara told you to stay in bed," he snapped. "You can't go parading around with broken ribs and a concussion, not to mention a broken leg."

"I thought a nice, brisk walk would do me good," I joked, shrugging. "Who knew moving when you had broken bones wasn't a good idea?"

"Get over here so I can give you these nanomachines," he commanded. "Hurry up, I don't have all day."

With an amused glance back toward Aya, I hobbled over to Armour. Without warning, he grabbed my arm and stuck a needle in it.

"Geez, what the hell!" I yanked my arm back. "What was that!"

"The nanomachines, what do you think?" he said irritably. "They should fix you right up."

"What the hell are nanomachines anyway?" I asked, rubbing my arm.

"They're microscopic machines that, when inserted into the bloodstream, go right to the source of the problem and fix it." He shrugged. "It's a household item now, nothing special."

I felt a tingling sensation in my side and in my ankle. "What happens when they complete their objective?" I asked, fidgeting.

"They dissolve into harmless material that is passed through the system within the next day," Armour explained. "No fuss, no muss."

"So then, people don't die often, do they?" I asked as I felt the pain fading away. "If these nanomachines fix them?"

He shook his head. "The nanomachines can't fix fatal wounds," he said. "They're only equipped to fix broken bones, shallow gashes, things of that sort. Something fatal, such as a bullet or stab wound to the organs would take too many nanomachines to mend."

"Then just put more nanomachines in," I suggested, removing the bandages from my torso. I didn't need them anymore. "Problem solved."

"Not really," the man replied. "Injecting too many nanomachines would result in a war within the body with the white blood cells. You see, when you inject that small amount, the nanomachines go directly toward the wound, easily destroying any of the white blood cells that try to attack them. The number they kill is miniscule compared to the amount that travels throughout the body, so there's no problem. If we put too many in the bloodstream, the nanomachines will kill a large amount of white blood cells in retaliation to attack, and that can make the person's immune system very weak. They'll be susceptible to any kind of viruses and germs that travel through the air."

"But being sick is preferable to being dead, right?" I pointed out.

"The patient usually dies anyway after a few hours," he said. "Too many bacteria and germs and viruses attacking the system." He suddenly grinned. "But this science lesson is over. You should get some rest." With that, he walked out.

"He's smart, but a little on the eccentric side," I said, turning to Aya.

"He used to work for the Shin-Ra Corporation," Aya said, walking into the hall. As I followed, she said, "I bet that'd make anyone a little eccentric."

"He worked for Shin-Ra?" I asked, curious. "Why is he here then?"

Aya shrugged. "He quit there and somehow found us. Said something about wanting to help us."

"And no one found that a little suspicious?" I was a little amazed that they had been so lenient.

"Well, Vulcan used to work for them too," she said, as she began leading me back to my room. "As a security guard. But he started making a ruckus about their illegal activities and killings, so they burned down his house. They thought he was in there, and they hoped to silence him. Turns out, only his wife and daughter were in the house at the time." She sighed. "I guess we just assumed that something similar had happened to Armour, so we took him in."

We had reached my room, and I was grateful. I had a lot of things to mull over, and I needed some peace and quiet. "Thanks for walking me to my room," I said, grinning wryly. "You're such a gentlewoman."

She smiled back. "Thank you for saving my life," she replied. "You're such a hero."

She walked away, leaving me in front of my door. I shook my head, and opened the door, shutting it behind me. As I flopped down onto the bed, I thought about her last words. 'You're such a hero' I laughed to myself, before falling asleep. It was a pretty ridiculous thing to say.


End file.
